Terri Gordon (Owner/Director, Sturbridge and Boston Location ) founded Mass Motion Dance in 1983 in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Mass Motion Dance was formerly known as the Terri Gordon Dance Centre. Mrs Gordon began her training in the Worcester, Massachusetts area as a very young child. At the age of fourteen she received a scholarship to the Boston Ballet School and became an apprentice to the Company at age 15. After performing with the The Boston Ballet for six years, Terri moved to Germany and joined Tanz Forum, the modern dance company of the Cologne Opera. During her professional career, Terri performed throughout most of Canada, Western Europe and the United States. She has also performed with the Chicago Lyric Opera and Rhode Island Festival Ballet as a guest artist. Mrs Gordon has taught master classes at Eastern Connecticut State University, Mercyhurst College, Dance Educators of America and Dance Masters of America. Mrs. Gordon was on the faculty of the dance department at the Burncoat High School Arts Magnet program in Worcester from 1996-2001. Terri is a member of Dance Masters of America, New England Chapter #5.

Irada Djelassi (Assistant Director, Boston Location ) began her dance training at the age of two in Central Massachusetts at Mass Motion Dance Academy. She continued her education at the University of Massachusetts, in the Five College Dance Department where she recieved a BFA in Dance. Irada was honored with a Chancellors Award in dance all four years. While in college Irada produced and performed in several different dance and theater performances throughout the Five Colleges. In 2000 Irada moved to NYC to further her education. While studying in Manhattan, she taught at the American Youth Dance Theater on the Upper East Side.  The American Youth Dance Theater. Irada was asked to teach at a Performing Arts Magnet School in Worcester, MA.   Irada has performed choreography by Andre Tyson of Alvin Ailey, Leslie Partridge, Billbob Brown, Nia Love, Janis Brenner, Katherine Hooper, Jin Wen Yu, as well as others.   She is currently the Assistant Director of Mass Motion Dance and the co-artistic Director of BoSoma Company. She is also a board member of Allston Village Main Streets in Boston.  www.bosoma.org

Katherine Hooper (Owner/Director, North Location ) began her professional training at the University of North Carolina and finished her BFA at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Five College Dance Program. As an undergraduate, she co-developed an Arts Collective and an Improvisation Group while producing, directing and choreographing 2 full-scale productions.  Following graduation, Katherine moved to Colorado where she co-founded Performance Works, Ltd., a contemporary dance and theatre company. For five years, as the choreographer and co-artistic director of the company, she taught and performed throughout the area inspiring local dancers and non-dancers to achieve their personal best through movement.  While in Colorado, Katherine also certified through Polestar Education in Pilates Matt Work, which has enhanced her passion for creating highly athletic and dynamic movement.  In 2001 and 2002, Katherine was commissioned to choreograph original works for the Patricia Kenny Dance Collection, formerly of the David Parsons Dance Company.  In 2004, she taught a weeklong workshop at Peridance Center in Manhattan.  Since 2005, Katherine has been commissioned to set work on the Lee Lund Teen Company, in Connecticut for their annual pre-professional concert.  She is also the co-Artistic Director and founder of BoSoma Dance Company.  www.bosoma.org

Kathryn Accairi (Tiny Tots) recieved a B.A. from University at Buffalo; and has done post-bac studies in dance and theatre education at Bridgewater State College. Kathryn has danced for over 30 years. She studied in Western New York at the Rochester Association for Performing Arts and SUNY Buffalo, and has danced her way across Interstate-90, landing in Massachusetts in 1999. In 2002, she earned her teaching license in dance education from the State of Massachusetts. She is certified to teach dance in grades pre-K to 12. Kathryn has taught at Brookline High School, The Topf Center for Dance Education, Boston Ballet, Backstage Dance Center, Tri-Community YMCA, and numerous public school enrichment programs and arts festivals.

Shelbia Djelassi (Hip Hop) graduated from Mass Motion Dance Academy in 2001 and moved to Los Angeles to become a member of the Young Americans, a young Broadway touring company. She was a founding member of BoSoma Dance Company in the fall of 2003. In the fall of 2007 she returned to Boston from Chicago, where she was performing with Hip Hop ConnXion Chicago, one of Chicago’s premier Hip Hop Dance Companies. Now back in Boston Shelbia is on faculty at the Mass Motion Dance Academy, The Hill House on Beacon Hill and The Jackson Mann. She is also Co-Captain/dancer of the new Hip Hop ConnXion Boston company.

Jillian Grunnah (Ballet, Jazz, Modern/Contemporary, Hip Hop) began her professional training at Bowdoin College in 2002. As an undergraduate she received summer study scholarships to the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop and Jose Limon Summer Program. After graduating she directed a dance program in Portland, ME and danced with Jill Eng/Forward and Up and SONAR Dance Company. In May of 2009, Jillian completed her MFA in Choreography and Performance from Smith College, where she was granted a Teaching Fellowship and summer scholarships to study with Doug Varone and participate in the Sankofa Dance Project with choreographer George Faison. Jillian has also performed in works by jazz great Danny Buraczeski, David Dorfman, Carl Flink/Black Label Movement, Jose Limon and Mark Morris. As a full-time teacher, Jillian has taught modern, jazz, ballet, hip hop and creative movement to students of all ages at Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Bates Dance Festival and the American College Dance Festival. She is currently the interim Director of Dance at the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, MA and performs with the BoSoma Dance Company. 

Heather Gustafson (Tiny Tots & Children's Ballet) began her dance studies at the Terri Gordon Dance Center 20 years ago and has been with the MMDA faculty since 1997.  She received her Dance Masters of America teacher certification in Buffalo, New York in 1998.

Meghan Hood (Tiny Tots – Senior) began her dance training at the Priscilla Gibson School of Dance Arts, home of The Manchester Ballet, in CT. She continued her studies at Mass Motion Dance Academy in Sturbridge, MA and graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a BA in Dance and a BA in Early Childhood Education. While there, she also earned the Chancellor’s Talent Award in Dance. She has performed with Plexus Dance and ACF Dance. Meghan teaches third grade in Brimfield, MA and has been a faculty member at Mass Motion Dance Academy since 2001 and has been performing with the BoSoma Dance Company since its conception in 2003.

Pattie Hunter (Irish Step) Pattie grew up in the Boston area and began Irish Step Dancing at the age of five. Pattie is an award winning champion dancer who has successfully competed both nationally and internationally including the All World Championships held in Galway, Ireland. Pattie is a certified T.C.R.G. and a member of the Irish Dance Teachers Association of New England, the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America and An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha in Dublin, Ireland.  Pattie is currently on the faculty of Mass Motion Dance and teaches in their Boston and Sturbridge studios.

Rachel Lacasse (Tiny Tots - Level Classes) began her dance training at age 2 at Mass Motion Dance in Sturbridge. After graduating in 2006, she began her undergraduate education at Simmons College. She is graduating in 2010 with a Bachelors Degree in history and political science. While at Simmons she was a member and choreographer for both the Colleges of the Fenway Dance Project as well as the Simmons Dance Company. Rachel has taught at the Boston location since 2006 and will also be teaching at the new Peabody location.

Li-Ann Lim (Ballet & Pointe) began her dance training in Lexington Massachusetts at the Lexington School of Ballet. She later studied at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City.  In 2004, she joined Chen and Dancers and performed with the ensemble in the New York City area.  While with Chen and Dancers, she began teaching for the Company’s workshops, including a residency at California State University Summer Arts Program, Fresno (2006) and a summer intensive program for the Families of Chinese Children, Cincinnati (2007).  She received her MFA in dance from the University of California, Irvine in 2007.  While continuing to perform professionally, she has also pursuit a teaching career, teaching ballet, modern, and dance composition.  She has served as adjunct faculty at Fullerton College and lecturer at the University of California, Irvine and at Scripps College.  Li-Ann performs with the BoSoma Dance Company.

Sandra Shih Parks (Ballet & Hip Hop) holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University MFA in Choreography and Dance from Smith College, MA.  Sandra is originally from Taiwan where she received her training in ballet, Chinese dance, jazz, hip hop and modern dance, and she danced with Fours Season Ballet and Wu-I Dance Company. Upon graduation from NYU, Sandra toured nationally and internationally with a Broadway production of the King And I. In addition, she has been the lead dancer and choreographer for more than seventy five different concerts in Atlantic City, Boston, Las Vegas and New York City since 1996. She directed her own hip hop company in New York City for over five years. After she moved to Boston, she danced with Bosoma Dance Company, Dance Collective, and Impulse Dance Company.  Sandra started her teaching career in 2000 and she has taught at Boston University, Smith College, Topf Center for Dance education and many other performing arts schools in New England area and New York City. She was invited to teach master classes in Taipei, Taiwan in the summer of 2004 and 2006. She is currently also a faculty member at Boston University, Colleges of Fenway, Regis College and visiting professor at Bridgewater State College.

Krystin Timmins (Children's Ballet) received her BA Dance, BA Early Childhood Education, Master Ed. Creative Arts, Lesley University.  Krystin has been a MMDA faculty member since 1992.  In addition to teaching dance at the Sturbridge location, Krystin also teaches kindergarten in Brimfield, MA.